Nail clipper



June 24, 1958 M, DAVID 2,839,827

NAIL CLIPPER Filed June 19, 1957 v INVENTOR ANDREW M. DAVID BYM7/PLWJ v ATTORNEY United States Patent@ NAIL CLIPPER Andrew M. David, Washington, D. C.

Application Ju'ne 19, "1957, Serial No. 666,580

3 Claims. (Cl. 30-28) This invention relates more particularly to an improved clipper for trimming nails and cuticle and one of the primary objects of this invention is to provide a clipper with improved means to retain small cuttings during the clipping operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide an attachment for a tool of the type described which is adapted to collect therein small cuttings during the clipping operation.

A further object of this invention is to provide an attachment for a nail clipping tool which is inexpensive to manufacture, non-complex in assembly and operation and durable in use.

Other and further objects and advantages of this in-.

1 which are closed.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the top face of the clipper shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side view or side elevation of the clippe shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the guard member detached from the jaws ofthe clipper.

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view of the guard member along the line 5-5 Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings which show an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the nail clipper indicated generally at 10, is a relatively lightweight type of clipper used for the purpose of manicuring nails and cuticle and comprises a pair of operating handles 11 and 12 having corresponding fulcrum portions 13 and 14 which are journalled together to the usual lap joint and pivot pin indicated generally at 15. Each fulcrum portions 13 and 14 is provided at its outer extremity with a jaws 16 and 17 respectively, having mutually coacting cutting edges 18 and 19 respectively, which, as seen in the horizontal plane of Fig. l, are substantially straight and in the plane of the upper faces of the jaws. provided with a leaf-spring or other equivalent resilient means secured at one end to one of the handles of the clipper and adapted to resiliently engage the opposite handle, so that the jaws are normally held open. In the present embodiment the handle '12 is provided with an apertured boss 20 for pivotally securing one end of a. leaf-spring thereto.

To adapt the jaws for manicuring purposes, the upper faces 21 and 22 respectively of each jaw is of concave curvature, as indicated in Fig. 3, as a consequence of which the cutting edges 18 and 19 of the jaws shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 have a corresponding curvature for guiding the clippers and insuring a smoothly curved cut on nails and cuticle. Y

The bottom faces of the jaws constitute sloping sur- Clippers of this type are quite generally faces'orwalls which, as'shown at 23and 24 respectively in Fig. I extend from the outer edges of the corresponding jaws inwardly and upwardly to the respective mutually coacting cutting. edges 18 and 19 thereof.

These sloping walls, together with the substantially vertical walls 25 and 26 at the inner ends of each respecfl tive jaw, form a substantially V-shaped relief recess when the jaws are closed, as indicated generally'at27' in Fig.3. 1

portions 32 which extend therefrom and lie flush against the sides of the jaw member 13 thus rigidly holding the guard member 28 to the bottom face of the jaw member 13. The guard member 28 consists of the rectangular tongue portion 29 at its base, and has a forwardly extending curved cover portion 36 which extends upwardly and terminates in a line 34 so that the guard member at its top is of sufficient width to completely enclose the relief recess 27 when the jaws are in open position.

It will be observed that the guard member 28 is secured to one jaw only, or the jaw 13 of the clipper and comprises a single continuous cover member which extends from the outer edge of the jaw 16 to the outer edge of the jaw 17 even when the jaws are open, the continuous cover member spanning the mutually coacting cutting edges 18 and 19 of the jaws, thereby completely enclosing the relief recess 27.

In order to permit the guard member to completely enclose the relief recess 27 even when the jaws are open it is necessary to prevent the jaws opening more than is necessary. g

This is eifected by providing at one edge of the guard member a lug or protruding stop member 33 which is so positioned that it prevents the fulcrum portion 14 of the handle 12 from moving too far to prevent the jaws opening more than is necessary.

In operating the clipper, the clipper may be held in either hand and the guard member 28 completely encloses the relief recess or pocket within which the nail and cuticle cuttings are adapted to be caught during operation of the clipper the cover portion 36 also serving to prevent indiscriminate scattering of the trimmings.

Following the trimming operation, the operator inverts the clipper and opens the jaws thereof, whereupon the short pieces of nail and cuticle are readily removed from the pocket or relief recess for disposal.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than those herein set forth without departing from the spirit of the invention and the present embodiments are, therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. In a nail clipper, the combination with a pair of pivoted operating handles having jaws provided with mutually coacting cutting edges, said jaws having bevelled sides arranged to form a relief recess between said bevelled sides when said jaws are closed, a guard carried by said one jaw, said guard arranged to extend from the outer edge of the one jaw to the corresponding outer edge of the opposite jaw when said jaws are open so as to span the mutually coacting cutting edges of V Patented June. 24, 1958 3 said jaws and to form a pocket with said relief recess for retaining short lengths of nail and cuticle severed by said jaws, said guard having a rectangular tongue portion atits base, a forwardly extending curved. cover portion which extends upwardly so that theguard mem-. l 5 her at itstop is of sufficient width to completely enclose the relief recess when the jaws are in open position,

2 In a nail clipper such as defined in claim l, a guard carried by one jaw' having a substantially rectangular.

tongue portion at one end, said tongue portion being provided'at each side with a projecting portion adapted to lie flush 'withthe side of the jaw member to rigidly 4 hold the guard member to the bottom face of the jaw member.

3. In a nail clipper such as defined in claim 1, a guard carried by one jaw having a substantially rectangular tongue portion, a forwardly extending curved cover portion of sufiicient width to completely enclose said relief recess when the jaws are in open position, a lug or protruding stop member at one edge of said guard so positioned that it prevents the other handle from moving 10 too far to prevent the jaws opening more than is necessary.

a No references cited. 

